Thursday, June 14, 2012

Yesterday morning, some friends and I
attended the sessions of the Senate Banking Committee. We did not
intend to get arrested; we just wanted to have a word with Jamie
Dimon, the man who leads the corporation that is trying to throw
our friend, Deborah
Harris, out of her home. When Deborah learned that Dimon, the CEO
of JP Morgan
Chase, was going to be in town to talk before the Senate Banking
Committee, she felt that she could not pass up the opportunity to
speak to the man who is responsible not only for the unjust
foreclosure of her home, but of the devastated lives of so many
families that relied on JP Morgan Chase's financial integrity.
Several of us from Occupy
Our Homes DC felt that we had a responsibility to accompany
Deborah, and to stand with her as she spoke truth to power.

The consequences for our actions were
swift. We delivered a message to those who sit in authority, and the
hand of Authority was upon us immediately. We expected to be warned
and asked to leave, but instead found ourselves roughly escorted out
of the chamber and handcuffed. We spent the next seven hours being
confined to small spaces - a police van, narrow benches, jail cells.
We were moved between different rooms incessantly - in my case, I was
probably transferred to a different location at least fifteen times.
I was literally chained to the wall for much of my stay.

I was surprised by how traumatizing the
experience was. Though I did not expect to be arrested, I assumed
that this kind of "political crime" would result in a brief
trip to jail and a quick release after paying a fine. Instead, we
were held for most of the day. My case was particularly stressful,
since the FBI computer mistakenly identified me as being a certain
Mr. Perez. I was repeatedly interrogated by my jailers as to my real
identity, threatened with prolonged incarceration and locked away for
long periods of time while I waited to see if they would confirm that
I was really me. It looked like I might face an extended stay in
jail.

With my wrists locked in steel and my
every movement controlled, my mind was drawn repeatedly to Paul's
writings about powers, principalities, authorities, thrones and
rulers. Without a doubt, I was in the power of the men and women of
the Capitol Police. They could do anything they wanted to me, and I
had no ability to resist. As someone who is accustomed to having some
measure of control over his own life, this was a difficult experience
for me. For most of the day yesterday, I was reduced to a number and
an object, and my very identity was called into question by multiple
interrogators. Added to this was a prolonged period of involuntary
fasting. I felt numb, empty and increasingly distant from life beyond
the jailhouse walls.

At about six hours in, the officers
finally decided that I was indeed who I said I was. At that point,
they started calling me "sir" and relating to me as a human
being, rather than an object to be moved, recorded and stored. They
also let me call my wife, which was a great encouragement. She told
me how proud she was of me, and that the media was really covering
our action at the Senate hearing. It was good to be reminded again
that this was not about me; it was about Deborah and others who are
being trampled by the super-rich and their machinary of insatiable
greed.

Finally, I was released. To my
amazement, it seemed like my jailers really wanted me to thank
them. One of them remarked, "we treated you very well." I
was too shell-shocked to respond, but I thought to myself, "I
would hate to see what you do when you decide not
to treat someone well." I did not have it in me to argue with
them at that point, but by no means was I going to assuage what I
interpreted as a nagging feeling of guilt on their part. Let them sit
with it.

As I
was leaving, several people called the station, asking about me and
calling for my release. The officer in charge spoke to the last
person saying, "could you please tell everyone that Micah has
been released? We have been getting calls every minute!" I felt
so grateful for the support that my friends showed - and to know that
the pressure would have only increased if they had held me longer or
transferred me to another facility.

But -
once again - this is not about me! I would not have chosen to be
arrested, but I hope that by telling the story of my ordeal I can
once again draw attention to the plight of so many families that are
being forced out of their homes by the Big
Banks. If you have not yet, please learn about Deborah
Harris' case, and consider how you might be able to take part in
the movement for justice. If this incident can help build greater
support around Deborah, I will be satisfied.

Finally,
I must give glory to God. The experience of being incarcerated was an
amazing opportunity to lean on Jesus. While other human beings had
absolute authority over my body, the only freedom that remained for
me was in my spirit. As I was chained to walls and locked in a cell,
my connection to God was the only thing that could cut through the
anxiety, claustrophobia and sense of helplessness that I was
experiencing. I know that the Lord will not present me with any
challenge that he does not also equip me spiritually to endure.

7 comments:

Bob Cooke
said...

Micah,

Many thanks for your accompaniment of Deborah and sharing your experience publicly.

It is certain revealing that the Jamie Dimon's of the world and the rest of the people that caused untold economic distress from 2008 until now are treated well and not prosecuted but as soon as a victim speaks up "inappropriately" the heavy hand of "justice" comes down hard on those trying to speak truth to power.

I would venture to guess that the police officer you were dealing with who said how well they treated you was probably not dealing mainly with his guilt (which they should have) but making a preemptive strike to try to convince you that they really did treat you well in their eyes and the eyes of the system so you would not formally complain about your treatment after you were released.

I hope to be able to do some work with you good people in regard to your mortgage foreclosure actions. I had set up a mortgage foreclosure avoidance assistance group at my parish in 2008 to help folks who were in danger of getting foreclosed get as much assistance as they could in preventing that movement. Unfortunately, we ended up disbanding after about two years but it has always been in the back of my mind that I would like to get involved with some foreclosure resistance, the type of which Michael Moore documented in Capitalism - A Love Affair, and which it seems like you were doing to some extent with Deborah.

Micah, Thank you for your witness and this account. I have been arrested more than a dozen times on Capitol Hill in various nonviolent direct actions, at different times and places. Those in power do not want to hear words of truth and be confronted with the true life stories of those victimized by corporate-government policies.

Often when I have been detained for many, many hours -- a few times I have been held over 30 hours in various cells -- I remind myself of the young men and boys who were and a few still are being held with no trial in places such as Guantanamo.

Your support of Ms. Harris is greatly appreciated, and I am overjoyed by the good work I see Occupy Our Homes - DC doing in my hometown. Thank you!